United States

Top 10 States With Highest Growth Potential

Citing data from the Chamber of Commerce, The Atlantic releases its top picks based on their capacity for growth and innovation. Alaska, North Dakota, and Wyoming come out on top.

June 25, 2011 - The Atlantic

Finally, New and Improved Pentagon 2.0

The Pentagon, previously called the War Department Building, took a mere 17 months to construct in 1941. The building's recent renovation took considerably longer: 17 years and $4.5 billion, to be exact.

June 25, 2011 - The Washington Post

Cab's Eye View of L.A.

When other musicians opt to romanticize L.A. with images of Hollywood and Malibu mansions, pop band Death Cab for Cutie captures the opposite in the music video for their new single, "Home Is A Fire."

June 24, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

City of the Future: Two Legs Good, Four Wheels Bad

Once dubbed the "lungs of the city," highways are becoming perhaps less essential. From Seattle to Seoul, pedestrianization is gaining traction on both the domestic and international fronts.

June 24, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

Power Struggle (Literally) in the Pacific Northwest

The Economist reports "a case of favoritism towards electricity generated by federal dams" in the Columbia River basin, a stretch of land that encompasses Oregon, Washington state, Idaho, and western Montana.

June 24, 2011 - The Economist

Will Congestion Pricing Backfire in the U.S.?

The U.S. Department of Transportation in 2007 selected five cities it thought could effectively implement congestion pricing, but none have come to fruition. What's holding back congestion pricing in the U.S.?

June 24, 2011 - Next American City

The AIA Stresses Sustainable Approach to Design

Jumping on the climate change bandwagon, the newly appointed CEO of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Robert Ivy underscores the need to find a healthy medium between sustainability and architecture.

June 24, 2011 - THE DIRT

U.S. Bicycle Master Plan Undergoes a Renaissance

Rendered obsolete in the 1980's, Secretary of Transportation LaHood makes a commitment to bring back a national network of bike routes.

June 23, 2011 - GOOD Magazine

Many African-Americans Seeking Economic Solace in the South

A recent study by Queens College for the New York Times shows that more than 50% of African-Americans who left New York in 2009 moved to the South.

June 23, 2011 - The New York Times

Smart Growth Weathered Housing Crisis Better Than Sprawl

Abigail Gardner of Smart Growth America takes aim at a recent article based primarily on Wendell Cox's correlation of smart growth policies to the housing market bubble and collapse.

June 23, 2011 - D.C. Streetsblog

The Top 10 Cities Leading the Way on Climate Change

Predictable cities like San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland are in the Top 10, but cities like San Diego and San Jose also hold prominent spots on the list.

June 22, 2011 - Triple Pundit

Reviving the Real Estate Market with Parks

The idea of tuning toxic or polluted sites into parks has been creating new green spaces in cities throughout the country. It's also re-starting the real estate market.

June 22, 2011 - THE DIRT

America's Hidden, Distributed Infrastructural Dependencies

The WikiLeaks release revealed the locations of a set of infrastructural sites operated by the United States all across the world. This piece from Domus looks at the geographical and geopolitical implications of this network.

June 22, 2011 - domus

Higher Vacancy Rates in Walkable Neighborhoods

In comparing data collected during the 2010 Census, walkable neighborhoods are shown to have greater vacancy rates than the cities they're in.

June 21, 2011 - Plannovation

The History and the Flaws of the Cul-de-Sac

This episode of 99% Invisible looks into the history of the cul-de-sac, and why its design flaws overpower its benefits.

June 21, 2011 - 99% Invisible

Reviewing Recent Books on Cities

In reviewing a handful of new books looking at cities and how they work, this piece from The New Yorker glosses over the current thinking behind the urban conversation and wonders if city celebration has gone too far.

June 21, 2011 - The New Yorker

Stalled Developments Documented

Photographer Daniel Kariko focuses on issues of land use in sensitive environments. His latest work looks at stalled suburban housing developments in the U.S.

June 21, 2011 - domus

A Reality Check for Driverless Cars

For autonomous vehicles to roam the freeway, infrastructure and the law will need to accelerate and catch up with innovation, experts say.

June 21, 2011 - The Infrastructurist

Cheap(er) Gas Prices On Horizon

Gas prices have been dropping for a month. According to the chief oil analyst with the Oil Price Information Service in this radio interview, expect prices to continue dropping to as low as $3.25 a gallon, but don't expect lower than $3.00.

June 21, 2011 - NPR-Weekend Edition Sunday

Census Data Reveals Fundamental Changes in Modern Families

Think your living arrangement is unique? You aren't alone. The New York Times parses the vicissitudes and permutations of the twenty-first century American households.

June 20, 2011 - The New York Times

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.